Why the 2026 Abortion Ballot Measures Matter for Native Families
The Nov. 3 abortion ballot results were a hard blow for every family that believes each child is a gift from God.
Two States Wrote Abortion Into Their Constitutions on Election Day
Four abortion measures were decided by voters this month, and two went the wrong way, according to Ballotpedia. Virginia’s Question 1 was approved 62% to 38%, and Nevada’s Question 6 passed with about 63% of the vote. Both now place a right to abortion in a state constitution. In Missouri, an amendment to repeal the 2024 abortion amendment was rejected 55.5% to 44.5%. That one hurts.
Still, there was real good news. Idaho voters turned down Proposition 1, which would have created a statutory right to abortion up to viability, by 55.94% to 44.06%, and the state’s protections for unborn children stand. Praise God for Idaho!
Our Pro-Life Friends Are Grieving the Losses and Holding on to Hope
NASP stands shoulder to shoulder with every group that wants more healthy babies. Virginia’s Catholic bishops, through the Virginia Catholic Conference, called the passage of Question 1 “profoundly tragic,” and they reminded the faithful that “No vote can alter the sacredness of human life.” Carol Tobias of National Right to Life said of Missouri, “Tonight’s results are a setback, but it’s not the final word.” In Idaho, Emily Naugle of Right to Life of Idaho said voters “recognized that our current laws protect both” mothers and babies, as National Right to Life reported. Boise’s Bishop Peter Christensen put it best: “Life goes on. Life is beautiful. And I am grateful.” We agree with every word.
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________The Fight for Life Continues in the States, the Courts, and Congress
Meanwhile, the news since Election Day has been mixed. In Massachusetts, a law loosening the rules for abortions at 24 weeks and later was put into effect by emergency preamble on Nov. 6, which blocks it from being suspended even though opponents filed 113,477 signatures for a 2028 repeal vote, WBUR reported. In New York, a federal judge extended protection to NIFLA member pregnancy centers so they can tell women about abortion pill reversal while the case goes on, according to Alliance Defending Freedom. Tennessee bills HB 1 and SB 2 would allow $1 million in damages when a mailed abortion drug ends an unborn child’s life (WSMV). SBA Pro-Life America is also urging the Senate to restore in-person dispensing of the abortion pill.
More Native Babies Mean Stronger Families and Stronger Tribal Nations
These votes do not stay inside state lines. Their effects ripple into our reservations, our churches, and our homes. The general fertility rate for American Indian and Alaska Native women fell to 46.8 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 in 2024, down about 3% in a single year, according to CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
Fewer babies means fewer future leaders, language keepers, and grandparents.
Our goal is simple. We want a growing economy where one income can support a family, where marriages are strong and supportive, and where children are welcomed in large numbers. Sovereignty includes protecting the next generation, and every Native child carries the future of a nation. So we will keep praying, keep serving mothers in need, and keep standing with every friend of life.
